Channel section window guides



Dec. 13, 1966 E. WEIMAR CHANNEL SECTION WINDOW GUIDES /Nl/f/VTUR WE1 MARvizir.,

Filed June 50, 1964 f/ZICH BY *DF/brui {TA/nz mm1@ Y /LRSC H TTORNEYSVMUnited States Patent O 3,290,826 CHANNEL SECTION WINDOW GUIDES ErichWeimar, Viersen, Rhineland, Germany, assignor to Draftex Limited,Coventry, England Filed June 30, 1964, Ser. No. 379,158 Claims priority,application Great Britain, Apr. 17, 1964, 16,046/ 64 3 Claims. (Cl.49--440) This invention relates to channel section window guides, andparticularly to window guides for the windows of motor vehicles. Suchyguides as at present manufactured are of channel section material andfitted into channel shaped metal supports.

The chief object ofthe invention is to evolve a window guide which canbe easily and economica-lly manufactured, which will be firmly heldWithin its associated support without the use of adhesive or otherfastening means and at the same time will be efficient in use by vensuring any easy sliding movement of the associated window withoutrattle.

Furthermore, windows particularly on motor vehicles, are generallyformed with radiused corners and consequently it is necessary for thewindow guide to be bent to a small radius of curvature without any undueopening or closing of the flanges of the channel section guide las aresult of such bending movement.

A further object of the invent-ion therefore is to evolve a window guidewhich will not be subject to such opening or closing movement when bentto a curve of small radius.

A channel section window guide in accordance with the present inventionincludes a channel section reinforcing member and a moulded on orextruded on enclosing covering of a mouldable or extrudable material,the internal surface of the covering including window engaging faceshaving a flock or other covering which will resiliently engage thewindow but at the same time permit of free sliding movement.

Although it is within the scope of the invention to construct thereinforcing member from any suitable material such as for example Wirebent into zig-zag form, it is preferred to bend it up from `a metalblank comprising a series of spaced transverse ribs connected togetherat points intermediate their length by connecting portions, theconnecting portions when the blank has been bent into channel section,occupying a position substantially midway of the depth of thereinforcing member corresponding to the longitudinal axis of thereinforcing member along which bending movement Will take place when thewindow guide is bent in the plane of the window. By so positioning theconnecting portions which are preferably of compartively narrow width inrelation to the ribs, there will be little or no tendency for thechannel to open or close as a result of such bending movement.A

Referring to the accompanying drawing:

FIGURE l is Ia cross-section of the guide in its original flat form;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional perspective view of the guide bent into channelshape and coated internally with ock material;

FIGURE 3 lis a sectional perspective view of the guide in positionWithin a metal channel-shaped support;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of a part of a metal reinforcing member suitablefor incorporation into the guide.

The window guide illustrated is initially of the iiat form shown inFIGUR-E 1, the guide being extruded from a suitable plastics materialonto an internal metal reinforcing member, the member for example beingof the shape shown in FIGURE 4. The reinforcing member comprises aseries of spaced transverse ribs 1 connected rice together by spacedconnecting portions 2 of comparatively narrow Width.

The reinforcing member as shown clearly in the drawings liessubstantially Vmidway of the thickness of the plastics material, theplastics material extending well beyond the longitudinal edges of thereinforcing member.

The plastics covered reinforcing member -as it emerges from the die ofthe extruder will be of the flat form shown in FIGURE 1 but isultimately bent into the channel shape shown in FIGURE 2.

Before being bent into the channel shape shown in FIGURE 2 the plasticscovering is coated. on its three at internal faces 3 with a flockcoating 4,. the flock being applied in any suitable way as for exampleelec-V trostatically in known manner, the flock engaging the oppositefaces and edge of the window glass and ensuring easy sliding movement ofthe window without rattle, the glass being shown by chain dotted linesin FIG- URE 3 and indicated by reference numeral 5.

It will be seen that the plastics covering is comparatively thick on theinner surface of the reinforcing member where the fiat faces 3 lie thethree faces being connected by compartively thin portions 6 which alloweasy bending of the section into the channel shape shown in FIGURE 2.

It will be seen that the central flat face 3 has assumed a bowed shapewhilst the outer flat faces 3 diverge towards the mouth of the channel.

The reinforcing member is constructed from steel or other suitableresilient material and consequently when the guide is pressed into thechannel section support 8 as in FIGURE 3 the three faces 3 will all befiat, the outer faces lying parallel with the wind-ow glass 5.

The plastics covering is thickened at 7 so that it makes line orsubstantially line engagement with the inner faces of the parallel sidesof the channel shaped support 8 to hold the guide firmly in positiontherein by friction between the contacting parts.

As in most cases it will be necessary to bend the guide in the planecontaining the Window glass as for example at the radiused corners ofthe window, the connecting parts 2 of the reinforcing member preferablylie substantially midway of the depth of the guide, the connecting partslying within the comparatively thin parts of the extrusion and on orsubstantially on the neutral axis of the guide along which the guidewill bend. The connecting parts 2 being comparatively narrow in widthwill either bend or possibly break in the bending process thusfacilitating the bending process of the guide and enabling it to be bentsharply when required.

The parts 7 of the guide provide high pressure engagement with the wallsof the channel-shaped support, the diverging form of the guide enablingthe parts 7 to exert considerable lateral pressure on the walls and holdthe guide firmly in position. Any suitable mouldable or extrudablematerial may be used as the covering for the reinforcing member but itis preferred to use a thermo-plastic synthetic resin composition or acomparatively hard natural or synthetic rubber.

In the case of the reinforcing member being constructed from wire bentinto zig-zag formation, the wire ribs may be connected together bystitching to maintain the parts in correctly spaced relationship whenpassing through the extruder, the stitches preferably occupying theposition occupied by the connecting portions of the metal or otherblank.

I claim:

1. A channel section Window guide comprising an elongated resilientmember having an internal core embedded therein, said guide beingsubstantially Ushaped in cross section having a base and a pair of legs,said core comprising a plurality of spaced parallel strips of flexiblesheet metal extending transversely of the length of the guide member,each of said strips being substantially U-shiaped in cross sectionhaving a base and a pair of legs, the end of which are spaced from theends of said guide member, a plurality of relatively narrow connectorribs joining the adjacent transverse strips, and eX- tendinglongitudinally of the guide member, said resilient member beinginternally thickened on each side of the legs of the core at the endsthereof and being internally thickened on the inner side of the base ofthe core, the inner surface `of the thickened portions beingsubstantially at, said Iconnector portions being located at the thinnerIregions of the resilient member on each side of the base thereof, eachof said at surfaces having a flexible coating to permit free slidingmovement of the Window.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which a U-shaped channellmember is provided to receive said References Cited by the ExaminerUNITED STATES PATENTS 1,530,695 3/ 1925 Randall. 2,726,894 12/1955Bugbee. 2,821,430 l/l958 Grede. 2,847,247 8/ 1958 Kramer. 3,108,33810/1963 Stec.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner.

P. GOODMAN, Assistant Examiner.

1. A CHANNEL SECTION WINDOW GUIDE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED RESILIENTMEMBER HAVING AN INTERNAL CORE EMBEDDED THEREIN, SAID GUIDE BEINGSUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED IN CROSS SECTION HAVING A BASE AND A PAIR OFLEGS, SAID CORE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SPACED PARALLEL STRIPS OFFLEXIBLE SHEET METAL EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE LENGTH OF THE GUIDEMEMBER, EACH OF SAID STRIPS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED IN CROSSSECTION HAVING A BASE AND A PAIR OF LEGS, THE END OF WHICH ARE SPACEDFROM THE ENDS OF SAID GUIDE MEMBER, A PLURALITY OF RELATIVELY NARROWCONNECTOR RIBS JOINING THE ADJACENT TRANSVERSE STRIPS, AND EXTENDINGLONGITUDINALLY OF THE GUIDE MEMBER, SAID RESILIENT MEMBER BEINGINTERNALLY THICKENED ON EACH SIDE OF THE LEGS OF THE CORE AT THE ENDSTHEREOF AND BEING INTERNALLY THICKENED ON THE INNER SIDE OF THE BASE OFTHE CORE, THE INNER SURFACE OF THE THICKENED PORTIONS BEINGSUBSTANTIALLY FLAT, SAID CONNECTOR PORTIONS BEING LOCATED AT THE THINNERREGIONS OF THE RESILIENT MEMBER ON EACH SIDE OF THE BASE THEREOF, EACHOF SAID FLAT SURFACES HAVING A FLEXIBLE COATING TO PERMIT FREE SLIDINGMOVEMENT OF THE WINDOW.